Headwear with Absorbent, Wicking, Expandable Band

ABSTRACT

A headband for headwear such as a cap or hat, the headband having a material formed by an absorption layer fused with a wicking layer, the material having stretch and recovery properties, wherein said wicking layer controls stretch and recovery of said absorption layer, and wherein the wicking layer comprises a wicking fusible substrate, and wherein the absorption layer comprises a material substrate having absorptive fibers, and wherein the headwear comprises a second material and wherein a shrinkage of the material substrate substantially matches a shrinkage of the second material.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of PCT/IB2021/056421, filed Jul. 16, 2021, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application No. 63/060,220, filed Aug. 3, 2020, the entire contents of both of which are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

This patent document contains material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of this patent document or any related materials in the files of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates headwear and headwear manufacture. More particularly, this invention relates to expandable bands having absorption and wicking properties, and headwear with same.

BACKGROUND

Headwear, when worn, may include a portion in substantial contact with the wearer's head. That portion may be an expandable circumferential band or the like that may be used to provide a proper fit for the headwear.

As the headwear is worn, the band portion in contact with the wearer's head heats up to match the temperature of the wearer. And as the wearer's head heats up, so does the band portion in contact with the wearer's head. This heat, in addition to the wearer's sweat, may cause the band to deform and become uncomfortable.

Some caps have incorporated sweatbands to try to deal with this problem. However, these sweatbands tend to be bulky and do not retain the form or structure of the caps. Over time, these sweatbands may stretch out and become misshapen, e.g., as a result of the wearer's body temperature.

Some headwear has incorporated elastic bands to provide a tight fit.

Elastic bands may include rubber, and over time, as headwear with such bands are used, the rubber within the elastic may lose its recovery properties, begin to loosen, and eventually break down completely. Laundering (e.g., washing and drying with heat) may accelerate the breakdown of the rubber and thereby of the elastic.

In addition, elastic headbands tend to trap body heat, causing the wearer to become hot and uncomfortable.

Furthermore, elastic has poor (if any) absorption properties, and as such, moisture (e.g., perspiration) in the wearer's head area may not be adequately absorbed, causing further discomfort.

Further, even if combined with some absorption, an elastic headband (or a headband having an elastic portion against the wearer's head) will not wick moisture away from the wearer.

It is desirable and an object hereof to provide headwear with a headband that expands around the head, as needed to improve comfort, while keeping its shape, and for headband to return to its original length and size after expansion.

It is further desirable and an object hereof to provide an expandable headband that has beneficial absorption and wicking properties.

It is further desirable and an object hereof to provide an expandable headband that is breathable to allow heat to escape.

SUMMARY

The present invention is specified in the claims as well as in the below description.

These features along with additional details of the invention are described further in the examples herein, which are intended further to illustrate the invention but are not intended to limit its scope in any way.

One general aspect includes a headband for headwear. The headband includes a material formed by an absorption layer fused with a wicking layer, the material having stretch and recovery properties, where the wicking layer controls stretch and recovery of the absorption layer. The headband also includes where the wicking layer may include a wicking fusible substrate. The headband also includes where the absorption layer may include a material substrate having absorptive fibers. The headband also includes where the headwear may include a second material and where a shrinkage of the material substrate substantially matches a shrinkage of the second material.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features, alone or in various combination(s):

-   -   The headband where the fusible substrate may include or be a         two-way fusible substrate.     -   The headband where the second material is selected from a group         may include: a pant fabric, cotton, polycotton, linen, denim, a         compacted woven material, and a compacted knit material. The         wicking layer may include wicking fibers. The wicking fibers may         include polyester fibers.     -   The headband where the wicking layer provides memory and/or         performance to the headband.     -   The headband where the absorptive fibers may be or include one         or more of: cotton fibers, hemp fibers, and bamboo fibers.     -   The headband where stretch properties of the absorption layer         are due, at least in part, from the material substrate being         compacted or being cut on a bias thereof and/or having         mechanical stretch and/or may include an elastic polyurethane         fiber or fabric.     -   The headband where the absorption layer may include a material         selected from a group: cotton, polycotton, a compacted woven         material, and a compacted knit material.     -   The headband where the absorption layer may include 35% to 100%         cotton.     -   The headband where the absorption layer may include between 1%         to 65% polyester.     -   The headband where the at least a portion of the absorption         layer is perforated.     -   The headband where different portions of the absorption layer         have different degrees of perforation.     -   The headband where at least a portion of the wicking layer is         perforated.     -   The headband where at different portions of the wicking layer         have different degrees of perforation.     -   The headband where the headband is perforated.     -   The headband where different portions of the headband have         different degrees of perforation.     -   The headband where perforations in the headband form and/or may         include one or more repeating patterns.     -   The headband where The repeating patterns may include repeating         logos and/or text.     -   The headband where the headband is a straight headband.     -   The headband where the headband is a curved headband.     -   The headband where the fusible substrate has shrinkage equal to         shrinkage of the second material.     -   The headband where the shrinkage of the material substrate is 2%         to 15%, and the shrinkage of the second material is 2% to 15%.     -   The headband where the second material may include a fabric that         is the same as a fabric of the headwear.     -   The headband where the second material is selected from a group         may include: a hat fabric, cotton, polycotton, linen, denim, a         compacted woven material, and a compacted knit material.     -   The headband where the headwear is selected from a group may         include caps and hats.

Another general aspect includes a method of making a headband. The method may include: (a) positioning a fusible substrate on a material substrate; (b) fusing the fusible substrate and the material substrate to form a fused combination; and (c) spooling the fused combination as a spool of headbands.

The method may include one or more of the following features, alone or in various combination(s):

-   -   The method further comprising compacting the material substrate         prior to the positioning.     -   The method further comprising perforating the fusible substrate         and/or the material substrate prior to the positioning.     -   The method further comprising printing indicia on the fused         combination.     -   The method where the indicia may include one or more logos.     -   The method where the indicia may match perforations in shape         and/or size.     -   The method where the printing is performed before perforating         the fused combination.     -   The method where the printing is performed in conjunction with         perforating the fused combination.     -   The method further comprising perforating at least a portion of         the fused combination.     -   The method where the fused combination is perforated with one or         more logos.     -   The method where the fused combination is uniformly perforated.     -   The method where different portions of the fused combination         have different degrees and/or amounts of perforation.

Another general aspect includes a headband formed by the method of any one of the preceding method aspects.

Another general aspect includes a spool of headbands formed by the method of any one of the preceding method aspects.

Below is a list of headband aspects. Those will be indicated with a letter “H”. Whenever such aspects are referred to, this will be done by referring to “H” aspects.

-   -   H1. A headband for headwear, the headband comprising:         -   a material formed by an absorption layer fused with a             wicking layer, the material having stretch and recovery             properties, wherein said wicking layer controls stretch and             recovery of said absorption layer, and         -   wherein the wicking layer comprises a wicking fusible             substrate, and         -   wherein the absorption layer comprises a material substrate             having absorptive fibers, and         -   wherein the headwear comprises a second material and wherein             a shrinkage of the material substrate substantially matches             a shrinkage of the second material.     -   H2. The headband of embodiment H1, wherein the fusible substrate         comprises a two-way fusible substrate.     -   H3. The headband of embodiments H1 or H2, wherein the wicking         layer comprises wicking fibers.     -   H4. The headband of embodiment(s) H3, wherein the wicking fibers         comprise polyester fibers.     -   H5. The headband of embodiment(s) H1, wherein the wicking layer         provides memory and/or performance to the headband.     -   H6. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         absorptive fibers comprise one or more of: cotton fibers, hemp         fibers, and bamboo fibers.     -   H7. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein         stretch properties of the absorption layer are due, at least in         part, from the material substrate being compacted or being cut         on a bias thereof and/or having mechanical stretch and/or         comprising an elastic polyurethane fiber or fabric.     -   H8. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         absorption layer comprises a material selected from a group         comprising: cotton, poly-cotton, a compacted woven material, and         a compacted knit material.     -   H9. The headband of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein         the absorption layer comprises 35% to 100% cotton.     -   H10. The headband of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein         the absorption layer comprises between 1% to 65% polyester.     -   H11. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein at         least a portion of the absorption layer is perforated.     -   H12. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, and wherein         different portions of the absorption layer have different         degrees of perforation.     -   H13. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein at         least a portion of the wicking layer is perforated.     -   H14. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein at         different portions of the wicking layer have different degrees         of perforation.     -   H15. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         headband is perforated.     -   H16. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein         different portions of the headband have different degrees of         perforation.     -   H17. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein         perforations in the headband form and/or comprise one or more         repeating patterns.     -   H18. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         repeating patterns comprise repeating logos and/or text.     -   H19. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         headband is a straight headband or a curved headband.     -   H20. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         fusible substrate has shrinkage equal to shrinkage of the second         material.     -   H21. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         shrinkage of the material substrate is 2% to 15%, and the         shrinkage of the second material is 2% to 15%.     -   H22. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         second material comprises a fabric that is the same as a fabric         of the headwear.     -   H23. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         second material is selected from a group comprising: a pant         fabric, cotton, poly-cotton, linen, denim, a compacted woven         material, and a compacted knit material.     -   H24. The headband any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the         headwear is selected from a group comprising: caps and hats.

Below is a list of headwear aspects. Those will be indicated with a letter “H”. Whenever such aspects are referred to, this will be done by referring to “H” aspects.

-   -   W25. Headwear comprising a headband according to any of         embodiments H1-H24.     -   W26. The headwear of embodiment(s) H25, wherein the second         material is selected from a group comprising: a pant fabric,         cotton, poly-cotton, linen, denim, a compacted woven material,         and a compacted knit material.

Below is a list of method aspects. Those will be indicated with a letter “M”. Whenever such aspects are referred to, this will be done by referring to “M” aspects.

-   -   M27. A method of making a headband as in any of the preceding         headband embodiments H1-H24.     -   M28. The method of embodiment(s) M27, comprising:         -   (A) positioning a fusible substrate on a material substrate;         -   (B) fusing said fusible substrate and said material             substrate to form a fused combination; and         -   (C) spooling said fused combination as a spool of headbands.     -   M29. The method of embodiment(s) M28, further comprising         compacting said material substrate prior to said positioning in         (A).     -   M30. The method of embodiments M28 or M29, further comprising         perforating said fusible substrate and/or said material         substrate prior to said positioning in (A).     -   M31. The method of any of embodiments M28-M30, further         comprising:     -   perforating at least a portion of said fused combination.     -   M32. The method of any of embodiments M28-M31, wherein the fused         combination is perforated with one or more logos.     -   M33. The method of any of embodiments M28-M32, wherein the fused         combination is uniformly perforated.     -   M34. The method of any of embodiments M28-M33, wherein different         portions of the fused combination have different degrees and/or         amounts of perforation.     -   M35. The method of any of embodiments M28-M34, further         comprising printing indicia on said fused combination.     -   M36. The method of embodiment(s) M35, wherein said indicia         comprise one or more logos.     -   M37. The method of embodiments M35 or M36, wherein the indicia         match perforations in shape and/or size.     -   M38. The method of any of embodiments M35-M37, wherein said         printing is performed before perforating said fused combination.     -   M39. The method of any of embodiments M35-M37, wherein said         printing is performed in conjunction with perforating said fused         combination.

Below are other aspects:

-   -   H40. A headband formed by the method of any of embodiments         M27-M39.     -   S41. A spool of headbands formed by the method of any of         embodiments M27-M39.

The above features along with additional details of the invention are described further in the examples herein, which are intended further to illustrate the invention but are not intended to limit its scope in any way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIGS. 1A-1C show aspects of headwear incorporating a headband according to exemplary embodiments hereof,

FIGS. 2A-2C, 3A-3C, and 4A-4B show aspects of a headband according to exemplary embodiments hereof,

FIGS. 5A-5C, 6A-6E, and 7A-7H show aspects of headbands according to exemplary embodiments hereof,

FIGS. 8A-8D depict systems for manufacture of headbands according to exemplary embodiments hereof, and

FIGS. 9-10 shows aspects of a headband according to exemplary embodiments hereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, headbands are described in connection with caps. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize and appreciate, upon reading this description, that the headbands may be configured and incorporated with other types of headwear such as hats, visors, etc. As should be appreciated, the scope of the embodiments described herein is not limited in any way by the type of headwear with which a headband may be configured.

As used herein, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “headwear” includes, without limitation, caps such as baseball caps, hats, visors, etc. Headwear may be pre-sized to fit certain head circumferences and/or it may be adjustable.

With reference now to FIG. 1A, a cap 10 includes a crown portion 12 constructed to substantially fit over the crown of a wearer's head (not shown). The crown portion 12 preferably has a circumferential edge 14. A visor 16 may extend from the front peripheral edge of the crown portion 12.

A headband 18 according to exemplary embodiments hereof, and described in greater detail below, may extend around some or all of the circumferential edge 14 of the crown portion 12 and may be affixed to the crown portion 12, as described below, such that it is fully located within the crown portion 12.

The crown portion 12 may be made from several panels 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, 20 e, and 20 f (individually and collectively panel(s) 20). In the exemplary cap 10 shown in FIG. 1A, the panels 20 are triangular or gore-shaped, whereas in the exemplary cap 10′ shown in FIG. 1B, the panels 20 are rectangular or trapezoidal. The scope hereof is not limited by the shape of the panels 20.

As those of skill in the art will know and understand, the number of panels 20 may depend on various factors, including, e.g., the desired size of the crown 12, the size of the panels, and the material being used.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the panels 20 may include one or more air holes to allow the passage of air and moisture through the crown portion 12. A button (not shown) may be placed at the top of the crown 12 where the panels 20 converge.

The panels 20 may be made of synthetic or natural materials, such as a polyester, cotton, woven and non-woven material, felt, poly-cotton (e.g., cotton with spandex), and other similar stretchable or non-stretchable materials. The panels 20 may be made entirely or partially out of material that allows airflow to the scalp of the wearer.

FIG. 1C shows a hat 10″ with a headband 18″ around the entire circumferential edge of the crown portion of the hat.

The Headband

With reference to FIGS. 1A-1B, headband 18 may be affixed to the peripheral edge of the crown portion of the cap and the peripheral edge of the visor 16, e.g., by sewing and/or by other methods of securing the headband 18 to the crown portion 12 and to the visor 16.

The headband 18 preferably forms a closed loop, and its ends may be joined by being sewn together. Preferably the join seam is located at the rear of the cap. In adjustable headgear (e.g., caps with a clasp or the like at the rear), the headband 18 may extend around the peripheral edge of the crown portion without forming a closed loop.

Thus, with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C and 3A-3C, the headband 18 may be formed from a band (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C) that may be formed into a loop (as shown, e.g., in FIGS. 3A-3C). The manner in which the headband 18 may be formed and the materials that may be used will be described below.

FIGS. 2A-2B show an exemplary embodiment of a headband 18 laid out generally flat (not formed into a closed loop or an open loop). FIG. 2A shows a straight headband and FIG. 2B shows a curved headband.

For demonstration, the headband 18 of FIGS. 2A and 2B may be illustrated as being formed of a single piece or segment having a length L and a width W along the length thereof. While the headband 18 may have a constant width W1 along its length from left (P) to right (Q), but this may not be required. Also, the headband 18 may also be formed of multiple sections or pieces that may be joined together to form the headband 18. Thus, although shown as having one section in FIGS. 2A-2B, those of skill in the art will understand, upon reading this description, that the headband 18 may be formed of any number of sections and with any number of ends that may be joined together to generally form the headband 18. In general, a headband may comprise n sections, for n≥1. For example, as shown in FIG. 2C, the headband 18 may comprise n sections (denoted S1, S2, . . . , Sn in the drawing).

When formed from more than one section, the sections that may form the headband 18 may be formed of the same or different materials. Furthermore, when formed from multiple sections, the sections need not all be the same length.

The scope hereof is not limited in any way by the number of sections or pieces used to form the headband 18. When formed of multiple sections, the headband is not limited by the manner in which sections are joined, by the material(s) used for the section(s), or by the length(s) of the sections.

With reference now to FIGS. 3A-3C, in exemplary embodiments hereof, the headband 18 may comprise an open loop (FIGS. 3A and 3B) or a closed loop (FIG. 3C). That is, the ends at P and at Q may not be joined together. In this way, the junction at P-Q may be an open junction that may allow the diameter of the headband 18 to widen such that the headwear 10 may more easily be put on a person's head.

As show, e.g., in FIG. 3B, the headband 18 may include an extended portion 22 on one end (e.g., the end at P) that may overlap the other end (e.g., the end at Q) when the ends may be joined. Both ends P, Q, and/or any other ends that the headband 18 may include, may also have a corresponding extended portion 22 such that any ends may overlap with any other corresponding ends.

As noted above, a headband 18 may extend around some or all of the circumferential edge 14 of the crown portion 12. When the headband 18 forms a closed loop (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3C), the headband will extend around the entire circumferential edge 14 of the crown portion 12. When a headband forms an open loop (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3A), the headband may extend around less than the entire circumferential edge 14 of the crown portion 12. Note that headband configuration of FIG. 3B (with an overlapping or extended portion 22) will, like the closed loop headband 18 of FIG. 3C, extend around the entire circumferential edge 14 of the crown portion 12.

When the straight headband 18 of FIG. 2A is formed into a loop (e.g., the open loops of FIGS. 3A and/or 3B or the closed loop of FIG. 3C), the loop may have a constant diameter D_(L) along its height. The curved headband 18 of FIG. 2B, when formed into a loop (as in FIGS. 3A-3C), may not have a constant diameter D_(L) along its X-axis.

The length L of the headband 18 may generally determine (or be determined by) the size of the headwear 10.

The headband 18 may include one or more open junctions that may be located anywhere along its length (or circumference).

As will be appreciated, embodiments described herein are not limited in any way by the location and/or number of open junctions that the headband 18 may include, or the type of attachment mechanism(s) that may be used to generally secure the ends of the headband 18 together at the junction P-Q, or at any other junction(s).

In exemplary embodiments, the headband 18 may be a closed loop as shown in FIG. 3C. The headband 18 may be formed of one section or piece, and the ends of the section may be joined together. For example, the headband 18 may have one end at P and another end at Q, and the ends at P and at Q may be sewn or otherwise joined together to form a closed loop. The headband 18 may also be formed of more than one section or piece, and the ends of each section or piece may be joined together to form the headband 18.

In other embodiments, the headband 18 may be a closed loop that may be directly formed as a loop (e.g., on a loom) and may thereby not include any open ends (e.g., may not include an end at P and an end at Q).

The headband 18 may or may not include brand labels, size labels, decorative elements (e.g., decorative stitching), and/or other elements.

As noted, for a straight headband 18, when formed in a loop (e.g., when the ends at P and Q are joined as shown, e.g., in FIG. 4A), the diameter D1 at the top edge 24 may be equal to the diameter D2 at the lower edge 26. It may be preferable that the diameter D1 may generally match the diameter of the headgear such that headband 18 may be attached thereto.

For a curved headband 18, when formed into a loop (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4B), the diameter D3 of the curved headband 18 at the top edge 28 may be less than (or greater than) the diameter D3 of the curved headband 18 at the lower edge 30. In addition, the outer surface of the curved headband 18 may generally slant inward towards the center of the headband 18 as it extends upward.

The difference between the diameter D3 and the diameter D4 may be proportional to the amount of contour (e.g., generally concave) that the curved headband 18 may include. That is, a headband 18 with a higher amount of contour may exhibit a greater difference between the diameter D3 and the diameter D4 compared to a headband 18 with a lesser amount of contour.

In other exemplary embodiments, the curved headband 18 may be oriented with the larger diameter D4 as the top edge and the smaller diameter D3 as the lower edge. In such cases, the outer surface of the curved headband 18 may generally slant outwards away the center of the headband 18 as it extends upward.

Note that for purposes of this description, unless specifically stated otherwise, all embodiments, examples, references, descriptions, and details pertaining to the headband 18 will refer to and be applicable to both a straight headband and a curved headband.

In embodiments described herein of the may or may not have constant widths (e.g., W of FIG. 2A) along their lengths. The headbands may also have widths that may vary along the lengths.

Forming Headbands

With reference to FIG. 5A, the headband 18 may be formed from or comprise an inner piece 34 that preferably comprises a material substrate or fabric 38 with stretch properties combined with a fusible substrate 40 with stretch and recovery properties. In this way, the inner piece 34 may stretch and recover, where the fusible substrate 40 may provide recovery.

In the following exemplary embodiments, the inner piece 34 is the headband 18. However, those of skill in the art will understand, upon reading this description, that the inner piece 34 may be combined with other substrates or materials (e.g., an outer layer (not shown) on the fusible side. In such cases, the headband 18 may include those other substrates or materials.

With reference to FIG. 5A, and according to exemplary embodiments hereof, the inner piece 34 may comprise a composite material that may include a material substrate 38 (e.g., an underlying or inner fabric) and a fusible substrate 40 (also be referred to herein as a fusible 40). The material substrate 38 may be woven, knit, spun, or otherwise formed. The material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40 may be fused together to form the inner piece 34.

The material substrate 38 preferably has absorption properties. Thus, in exemplary embodiments hereof, the material substrate 38 may include fibers that may be absorbent. Absorbent fibers may include molecules (such as the sugar molecules in the cellulose of cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc.) that when in contact with moisture, may break the moisture's surface tension, allowing the moisture to move into the spaces between the fibers and into the fibers themselves. For example, cotton may absorb up to 7% of its weight in water that may be regarded in the art as substantial. In one exemplary implementation, the material substrate 38 may include absorbent fibers such as cotton, hemp, bamboo, other absorbent fibers, or any combination thereof. In this way, the material substrate 38 may be an absorbent material.

In exemplary embodiments hereof, the material substrate 38 may comprise 100% cotton.

In exemplary embodiments hereof, the material substrate 38 may contain other types of fibers, such as synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester, polypropylene) or natural fibers (e.g., Merino wool). In exemplary embodiments hereof, the material substrate 38 may include a blend of cotton and polyester. In this way, the material substrate 38 may be an absorbent material and a wicking material simultaneously. That is, the polyester fiber content of the material substrate 38 may provide wicking and the cotton fiber content may provide absorption. This may result in a more comfortable headband 18 that may wick and absorb moisture away from the wearer's skin.

In exemplary implementations, the material substrate 38 may comprise about 65% cotton and about 35% polyester. In another implementation, the material substrate 38 may comprise about 50% cotton and about 50% polyester. Other proportions of cotton to polyester may also be used, and it is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the material substrate 38 is not limited in any way by the proportions of cotton (or other absorbent fibers) to other materials (e.g., polyester) contained within the material substrate 38. It is also understood that the material substrate 38 may comprise other materials in addition to or instead of the polyester, and in similar or different proportions with respect to the cotton (or other absorbent fibers) content.

The fabric or material substrate 38 may be a single-ply of material, a double-ply of material, or any other number of plies or types of materials or pieces. In addition, the fabric or material substrate 38 may be cut in any way, including, e.g., along its length, breadth, or on a bias thereof.

The material substrate 38 preferably has stretch properties. These stretch properties may be imparted by the cut of the material substrate 38 (e.g., on a bias thereof) and/or by the fabric or material used to form the material substrate 38.

The fusible substrate 40 preferably has wicking properties. Thus, the combination of a material substrate 38 (with absorption properties) and a fusible substrate 40 (with wicking properties) results in a headband 18 that may wick and absorb moisture away from a wearer's skin. Wicking generally refers to the action of drawing moisture (e.g., perspiration) away from a wearer's skin, typically through the process of capillary action.

When combined with headwear (e.g., the caps of FIGS. 1A and 1B or the hat of FIG. 1C), the inner piece 34 (or headband 18) may be positioned with the fusible side (i.e., the wicking side—the side of the inner on which the fusible was positioned) adjacent the inside of the headwear so that the material substrate 38 (the absorption layer) may be adjacent or touching the head of a wearer. That is, when used with headwear, the absorption side of the headband 18 is preferably against the wearer, whereas the wicking side of headband is adjacent the side of the headwear. In that way, moisture (e.g., perspiration) from the wearer may be absorbed by the material substrate 38 and then wicked away by the fusible 40.

The fabric or material substrate 38 may also be referred to as an absorption layer or substrate, and the fusible substrate 40 may also be referred to as a wicking layer or substrate, e.g., as shown in FIG. 5C. Those of skill in the art will understand, upon reading this description, that the absorption layer/substrate may also have some wicking properties and the wicking layer/substrate may have some absorption properties.

The fusible or fusible substrate 40 may preferably be a two-way fusible substrate 40, although other fusible substrates 40 (e.g., one-way, four-way or n-way fusible substrates 40 where an n-way fusible substrate 40 is a fusible substrate 40 that provides stretch and recovery in n directions, and n may equal any number) may also be used and are contemplated. A two-way fusible substrate may be a fusible substrate that provides stretch and recovery in two directions thereof (preferably in non-opposing directions), typically, but not necessarily, perpendicular to each other. The directions may also be opposing directions. A two-way fusible substrate may also be referred to as a two-way stretch fusible or a two-way stretch fusible substrate. In general, an n-way fusible substrate may also be referred to as an n-way stretch fusible or an n-way stretch fusible substrate.

For the purposes of this discussion, one of the stretch (and recovery) directions may be referred to as a horizontal direction. The fused material (e.g., the headband 18 or inner 34) formed by fusing the fabric 38 with a fusible substrate 40 may preferably be formed with the horizontal direction of the fusible substrate substantially along the length of the headband 18.

As used herein, with reference to the stretch (and/or recovery) properties of a material, a direction may refer to a single direction with respect to a particular point or location or orientation or to substantially opposing directions with respect to that particular point or location or orientation. The term “opposing directions” refers to directions that are at or about 180 degrees opposed to each other. In other words, directions that are substantially opposed to each other. Thus, e.g., with respect to a mid-point on the headband 18, a particular fabric having horizontal stretch (and recovery) may have stretch (and recovery) to the left and right (i.e., in two opposing directions).

In some preferred embodiments, the fusible substrate 40 may be a two-way fusible substrate having greater stretch in the horizontal or length direction thereof, preferably about 90% horizontal stretch, with the other direction of stretch being about 10%. In other preferred embodiments, the fusible substrate 40 (preferably a two-way fusible substrate) may have somewhat equal stretch and recovery in the horizontal and vertical directions. The fusible substrate 40 may also have other amounts of stretch and recovery in the horizontal direction compared to the vertical direction, and the scope of the embodiments described herein is not limited by the amounts of stretch and recovery that the fusible substrate 40 may have in any direction with respect to any other direction.

The material formed by fusing the fabric 38 with a fusible substrate 40 may be referred to as performance material. As used herein, a performance material is a material having stretch and recovery properties.

Perforations

In some exemplary embodiments, one or more layers of the headband 18 may include perforations.

FIG. 6A shows an un-perforated headband 18 according to exemplary embodiments hereof, where the inner 34 is formed from a fabric 38 (preferably having absorption properties) combined (e.g., fused) with a fusible substrate 40 (preferably having wicking properties), e.g., as described above with respect to FIGS. 5A-5B.

Various non-limiting examples of perforations in the headband (or parts thereof) are shown in the drawings in FIGS. 6B-6E.

In the example headband 18′ in FIG. 6B, the fusible substrate 40′ is perforated, while the other layer (i.e., fabric 38) is not. In the drawing in FIG. 6B the vertical bars represent holes or perforations in the fusible substrate 40′, passing through the fusible substrate 40′. The resulting headband 18′ has perforations through the fusible part (i.e., through fusible substrate 40′), but not necessarily through the fabric 38.

In the example in FIG. 6C, the headband 18″ (comprising an inner 34″ with a fusible substrate 40′ and fabric 38′) is perforated through both the fusible substrate 40′ and the fabric 38′. Note that in this example, the perforations align and are preferably formed after the fusible and fabric are fused (see, e.g., FIGS. 8C-8D).

In the example headband 18′″ (comprising inner 34′″) of FIG. 6D, the fabric 38′ is perforated while the fusible 40 is not.

In the example headband 18″″ of FIG. 6E, both the fabric 38′ and fusible substrate 40′ are both perforated, but the perforations are not aligned. This may be formed, e.g., by separately perforating each layer (i.e., fabric 38′ and fusible substrate 40′) before joining them.

Although not shown, the headwear to which the headband is attached may also be perforated.

Perforations may be provided over the entire length and/or width of headband or over portions and/or layers thereof (e.g., material substrate 38 and/or fusible 40). In some cases, different degrees of perforations may be provided over different portions of a headband.

Perforations in the headband may comprise patterns corresponding, e.g., to text, logos, etc., e.g., as shown in FIGS. 7A-7C.

Wicking may be provided over the entire length and/or width of a headband or over portions thereof. In some cases, different degrees of wicking may be provided over different portions of the headband.

The material substrate 38 and the fusible 40 may be cut, knit, woven, spun, or otherwise formed into lengths of material generally having a similar or the same desired width as the headband 18 (e.g., W1 of FIG. 2A). The fabric 38 and/or the fusible 40 may also be formed into other lengths and/or having varying widths.

The underlying fabric of material substrate 38 may initially be with or without stretch. In some embodiments, the headband 18 may be formed by first compacting the underlying fabric of material substrate 38 to give it stretch properties, and then combining the compacted underlying fabric of material substrate 38 with the fusible substrate 40 (to control and give memory to the stretch imposed by the compaction). As should be appreciated, the underlying fabric of material substrate 38 may have the capacity to extend, and that the extension and recovery may be affected by the fusible substrate 40.

In exemplary embodiments, the lengths of the fabric or material substrate 38 and the lengths of the fusible 40 may each be formed into sections that may be substantially longer than L1 in FIG. 2A (e.g., twenty-five times the length of an individual headband 18). In this way, the resulting headbands may be produced in bulk (as a continuous stream) to be then cut into desired lengths during the manufacturing process of the headwear.

To achieve this, the underlying material substrate 38 and/or the fusible 40 may be directly formed into the lengths desired, or may be formed in shorter sections that may be combined end-to-end (or in any other way or orientation) to form the desired lengths.

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict exemplary systems for manufacture of continuous headbands according to embodiments hereof. It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the systems shown and described are illustrative, and that the system may comprise more than one individual system or combinations of systems. In addition, any of the acts described may be performed by any number of systems.

The underlying material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40 may each be provided on spools, rolls, troughs or the like which may be positioned to feed appropriate amounts of the material substrate 38 and fusible substrate 40 into a fusing press or fuser 54, substantially tension free. The spools may be positioned such that the fusible substrate 40 is appropriately located on top (or bottom) of the underlying material substrate 38.

As shown in the exemplary system 50 in FIG. 8A, the material substrate 38 may already be compacted or it may be fed into a compactor 52 to be compacted prior to being fused with the fusible substrate 40 (by fuser 54). The amount of compaction of material substrate 38 may depend on the application, as will be described in other sections hereof.

The material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40 may next be fed into a fuser or fusing press 54. Before entry to the fuser 54, the fusible substrate 40 may be positioned on top of the compacted fabric 42, e.g., by aligning the center longitudinal axis of the fusible 40 with the center longitudinal axis of the underlying material substrate 38 along their respective lengths (e.g., along L1 of FIG. 2A). The fabric 38 and the fusible 40 may then be fused together to form the inner 34/headband 18. The fusible 40 may also be positioned on the bottom of the material substrate 38 before being fed into the fusing press 54. A guide mechanism (not shown) may be positioned in front of fusing press 54 in order to position the fusible substrate 40 with the material substrate 38.

The fusing press or fuser 54 may fuse the material substrate 38 and fusible substrate 40 together under conditions (e.g., at temperature, pressure, and speed) appropriate for the materials being used. Those of ordinary skill in the art will know and understand what settings to use for the fuser 54 based on the materials being used for the underlying material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40. The output of the fuser 54 may be a fused combination 34 comprising the underlying compacted material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40 (e.g., the headband 18 of FIG. 6A).

After exiting the fuser 54, the fused combination (a stream of headbands) 18 may be cooled by passing through a cooler 56. The cooler 56 may be a dedicated cooler (e.g., a refrigeration unit) or may comprise cooling bins, cooling troughs, and/or spacing between the equipment components. The resulting stream of headbands 34 may be substantially longer than a single headband (e.g., twenty-five times the length of an individual headband 18) and may be referred to as a continuous stream of headbands. The continuous stream of headbands 34 may then be collected, for example, by a spooler 58, and wound onto rolls or spools 60, or may be cut to measurement.

The continuous stream of headbands 34 may be later cut to the desired lengths and formed with headwear. This may allow for long lengths of headbands 34 to be more easily transported, stored, and utilized. For example, the spooled headbands 34 may be provided to an entity that may manufacture headwear. Accordingly, the entity may receive the spooled stream of headbands 34, and subsequently, as needed for production, cut the stream of headbands 34 into lengths as required for each item of headwear (e.g., cap, hat, or the like). The continuous stream of headbands 34 may also be provided in other ways that may be appropriate depending on the lengths of the continuous streams of headbands 34.

In other exemplary embodiments hereof as depicted in FIG. 8B, in the system 50′, the compacted underlying material substrate 38 and the fusible 40 may be fused by the fuser 54 and cooled by the cooler 56 as described above. The continuous stream of headbands 34 may then be fed into a printer 62 such that graphics, text, logos, barcodes, QR codes, instructions, labels, and other types of images and/or indicia may be printed upon the headbands 34. The surface of the underlying compacted material substrate 38 and/or the surface of the fusible 40 may be printed. The output of the printer 62 may be a continuous stream of printed headbands 18′/inners 34′ that may then be collected, for example, by a spooler 58 onto spools 60, or may be cut to measurement.

For purposes of this description, all references to a headband and/or a continuous stream of headbands will also refer to a printed headband and/or a continuous stream of printed headbands, respectively, and the details, information, and descriptions with reference to a headband and/or a continuous stream of headbands, whether in the written specification or the figures, will also pertain to a printed headband and/or a continuous stream of printed headbands, respectively.

The material substrate 38 and/or the fusible 40 used to form the headbands 34 may also be formed in shorter sections that may or may not be provided on rolls. The headbands 34 may also comprise sections of the material substrate 38 fused with the fusible 40 that may be joined end-to-end to generally form the headbands 34.

As discussed above, the headband or portions thereof may be perforated.

In cases corresponding to the perforated inner 34′ of FIG. 6B, the fusible substrate is perforated, whereas the other layer (the fabric 38) is not. This may be achieved by providing a pre-perforated fusible substrate 40 in the exemplary systems 50, 50′ of FIGS. 8A-8B. Alternatively, a perforator may be positioned before the fuser 54 (e.g., at location P2 in FIGS. 8A-8B) to perforate the fusible 40 prior to combining it with the material substrate 38.

For the inner 34″ of FIG. 6C, the headband 34″ is perforated (through both the fusible substrate 40′ and the material substrate 38′). This may be achieved by a system 50″ or 50′″ of FIGS. 8C-8D, which are similar to the exemplary systems 50, 50′ of FIGS. 8A-8B, but may also include a perforator 64, preferably after the cooler 56. The perforator 64 may comprise one or more rollers or the like to perforate the headband 34 coming out of the cooler 56. The rollers may have any perforation pattern thereon, including perforation patterns corresponding to text, logos, etc., e.g., as shown in FIGS. 7A-7C. The output of the perforator 64 is a perforated headband 34″ (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6C).

In the system 50′ shown in FIG. 8D, a perforator 64 may be positioned before or after the printer 62, or a perforator 64 may be combined with a printer 62 to both print and perforate. In such case, the combined printer/perforator may print a pattern (e.g., indicia, a logo, text, etc.) corresponding to the perforation pattern (or vice versa).

In some cases, only the material substrate 38′ is perforated (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6D). In these cases, the fabric being fed into the fuser 54 (in FIGS. 8A-8B) may be pre-perforated or a perforator may be positioned before the fuser 54 (e.g., a position P0 or P1 in FIGS. 8A-8B).

Although either (or both) of the material substrate 38 and the fusible 40 may be pre-perforated, additional perforation may be provided (e.g., individually, at location P2 for the fusible 40 and either P0 or P1 for the fabric 38).

Those of skill in the art will understand, upon reading this description, if perforations are already present in the headband exiting the fuser 54 (either because the fabric and/or fusible were provided pre-perforated and/or because the fabric and/or fusible were perforated prior to being fused), the system need not (but may) still perforate (using perforator 64 in FIGS. 8C-8D).

In the systems shown in FIGS. 8B and 8D, a printer 62 is positioned after the cooler 56. Instead (or in addition), with reference again to FIG. 8A, one or more printers may be positioned at position P0 (to print on the material substrate 38 before compaction by a compactor) and/or at position P1 (to print on the material substrate 38 after compaction by a compactor) and/or at position P3 (to print on the material substrate 38 after fusing by fuser 54).

Determining Compaction Amounts and Matching Fusible to Fabric

As described, the fabric 38 may be compacted (e.g., by compactor 52 in FIG. 8D). The amount of compaction exerted onto the fabric 38 may depend at least partially on the type of fusible 40 used and the amount of desired or acceptable shrinkage for the headband 34.

For the purposes of this specification, the term shrinkage may refer to a change in dimensions across the length and/or width of the fabric, e.g., after washing, usage and relaxing. Shrinkage may be determined as a percentage, e.g.:

Shrinkage percentage=(length of fabric before wash)−(length of fabric after wash))/(length of fabric after wash)×100

There are various standard test methods used to determine shrinkage. For example, AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) Test Method 135, Dimensional Change of Fabrics After Home Laundering Scope: Determines the dimensional changes of garments when subjected to home laundering procedures used by consumers. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize and appreciate, upon reading this description, that any method can be used to determine shrinkage, although the same method is preferably used for all components.

In exemplary embodiments hereof, the shrinkage of the headband 18 may be generally matched to the shrinkage of the fabric used for the headwear. In this way, the headband 18 and the headwear to which it is attached may shrink the same or a similar amount (e.g., when laundered) and may thereby not bind, pucker, or otherwise become deformed when the overall shrinkage of the headband 18 occurs.

The shrinkage of the headband 18 may be matched to the shrinkage of the headwear by choosing an appropriate inner fabric for the material substrate 38, an appropriate amount of compaction for the inner fabric and an appropriate fusible 40. In some embodiments, the following acts may be performed to match the shrinkage of the headband 18 with the shrinkage of the headwear:

-   -   1. Determine the shrinkage of the headwear material. This may         also be the desired and/or acceptable shrinkage of the headband         18 so that the two shrinkages may match. For example, the         shrinkage of the outer fabric may be 4%.     -   2. Choose a fusible substrate 40 with the same (or similar)         amount of shrinkage as the headwear material.     -   3. Choose an inner fabric 38 with shrinkage greater than the         shrinkage of the headwear material and the fusible substrate 40.         It may be preferable to choose an inner fabric 38 with shrinkage         substantially greater (e.g., 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, etc.)         than the shrinkage of the headwear material and the fusible         substrate 40. Using the example 4% shrinkage for the headwear         material in (1), it may be preferable to choose an inner fabric         38 with shrinkage of about 12%.     -   4. Compact the inner fabric 38 an amount equal to difference         between the shrinkage of the inner fabric 38 and the shrinkage         of the headwear material. Using the example numbers above, this         would equate to compacting the substrate 38 about 8% (the amount         of 12%−4%=8%).     -   5. Fuse the inner compacted fabric 38 from (4) with the fusible         40 chosen in (2). Using the example numbers, this may result in         a headband 18 with 4% shrinkage (matched to the 4% shrinkage of         the outer fabric 32).

It can be seen that by choosing an inner fabric 38 with substantially greater shrinkage (e.g., 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, etc.) than the headwear material (and the fusible 40), that a greater amount of compaction may be implemented into the inner fabric 38. It is also understood that the greater amount of compaction may result in a greater amount of stretch. Given this, it may be preferable to choose the fusible substrate 40 in (2) above that may also include stretch and recovery properties equal to or greater than the amount of compaction implemented into the inner fabric 38. In this way, the inner fabric 38 may stretch the full amount of the compaction and the fusible 40 may provide recovery for the full amount of the stretch.

Further examples of shrinkage vs. compaction are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Examples of shrinkage vs. compaction Fabric of headwear Resulting material Fabric 38 Fusible 40 Compaction of Headband 18 Shrinkage Shrinkage Shrinkage fabric 38 Shrinkage 3% 12% 3% 9% 3% 5% 12% 5% 7% 5% 8% 12% 8% 4% 8% X % Y % X % Y % − X % X %

It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading this specification, that the examples described above are meant for illustrative purposes, and that the fabric 38 may undergo any amount of compaction as necessary to result in the desired stretch/recovery properties and the desired shrinkage percentages. It is also understood that the scope of the headband 18 is not limited in any way by the amount of compaction applied to the fabric 38 and/or the type of fusible 40 used. It is also understood that the acts described above may be performed in different order, that not all of the acts may need to be performed, and that additional acts not described may also be performed as required.

Properties and Benefits of the Headbands

The resulting headband 18 may thereby provide one or more of the following benefits:

-   -   1. By being formed from a fabric 38 that may contain absorbent         fibers (e.g., cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc.), the headband 18 may         provide absorbent properties.     -   2. By being formed from a fabric 38 that may contain wicking         fibers (e.g., polyester, etc.), the Accordingly, the headband 18         may also provide absorbent properties.     -   3. By being formed from a fabric 38 that may include a blend of         absorbent fibers and wicking fibers, the headband 18 may be         breathable.     -   4. By being formed from a fabric 38 (having at least some         stretch properties) fused with a fusible 40 (having stretch and         recovery properties), the headband 18 may provide stretch and         recovery properties to the headwear to which it may be attached.     -   5. By being formed by a fabric 38 fused with a fusible 40, the         headband 18 may be durable and have longevity.

Regarding items (1), (2) and (3) above, when configured on the inside of the headband 18 facing towards the body of the wearer, the headband 18 may wick and absorb moisture away from the wearer's head, thus providing a more comfortable fit.

Aspects the above item (4) are described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 .

As shown in FIG. 9 , the headband 18 (e.g., the continuous stream of headbands) may preferably be formed from fabric having stretch and recovery in one, two or other numbers of directions. In exemplary embodiments, the headband 18 may preferably have stretch and recovery in a substantially horizontal direction (e.g., generally along the length of the headband 18, generally in the direction of arrowed lines A-A′, E-E′ and I-I′ in FIG. 9 , from left to right and right to left in the drawing). In other exemplary embodiments, the headband 18 may preferably have stretch and recovery in a substantially vertical direction (e.g., generally perpendicular to the length of the headband 18 (e.g., generally in the direction of arrowed lines B-B′, F-F′ and J-J′ in FIG. 9 , from up to down and down to up).

In addition (or instead), in some exemplary embodiments the headband 18 may include stretch and recovery in other directions that may be at different angles (offset angles) with respect to the vertical or horizontal directions (e.g., in the directions of arrowed lines C-C′ and/or D-D′, G-G′ and/or H-H′ and K-K′ and/or L-L′ in FIG. 9 ). Note that while the directions of stretch and recovery represented by the angled arrow lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′ may be shown in the drawing in FIG. 9 as generally offset at approximately 45 degrees with respect to lines A-A′ and B-B′, E-E′ and F-F′, and I-I′ and J-J′ respectively, the directions of stretch and recovery represented by the lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′ may be offset at any angles or any combinations of angles with respect to arrowed lines A-A′ and B-B′, E-E′ and F-F′, and I-I′ and J-J′.

While FIG. 9 may show three constellations of arrowed lines (e.g. one constellation comprising arrowed lines A-A′, B-B′, C-C′, D-D′, one constellation comprising arrowed lines E-E′, F-F′, G-G′ and H-H′, and one constellation comprising arrowed lines I-I′, J-J′, K-K′ and L-L′) that may represent different directions of stretch and recovery of headband 18, it will be understood and appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading this specification, that the constellations of arrowed lines shown in the figure are meant for illustrative purposes, are not to scale and do not represent any particular location of stretch and recovery along the length of the headband 18. Indeed, any individual location on the headband 18 may have stretch and recovery in any directions or angles thereof. Furthermore, it is understood that the constellations of arrowed lines depicted may be located at, and may thereby represent stretch and recovery at, any points or locations along the length or width of the headband 18. In addition, any point or location along the headband 18 may stretch and recover in the same, similar, or different directions and/or angles with respect to any other point or location along the length or width of the headband 18 or in any combination thereof. In general, it is understood that the headband 18 may have any direction or angle of stretch and recovery at any locations point or position, or in any combination of locations, points, and positions along its widths and lengths.

In addition, it is understood that the headband 18 may include stretch and recovery properties in multiple directions and in multiple locations along its lengths and widths simultaneously. For example, the headband 18 may simultaneously include stretch and recovery in the horizontal direction (e.g., in the direction of arrowed lines A-A′, E-E′ and I-I′) as well as in the directions of any offset angles represented by the angled arrow lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′. Recall that while the arrowed lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′ are depicted as being generally 45 degrees with respect to the arrowed lines A-A′ and B-B′, E-E′ and F-F′, and I-I′ and J-J′ respectively, the angled arrowed lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′ may represent directions of stretch and recovery at any offset angles with respect to the arrowed lines A-A′ and B-B′, E-E′ and F-F′, and I-I′ and J-J′. The headband 18 may include stretch and recovery properties simultaneously in multiple directions, and each direction may be at any offset angle with respect to the offset angles represented by the arrowed lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′. This example is meant for illustrative purposes, and it is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the headband 18 may include stretch and recovery properties simultaneously in any combination of angles and/or directions, and in any location or at any point on the headband 18.

While the headband 18 may have substantial stretch and recovery in the vertical and horizontal directions, the headband 18 may have at least some stretch and recovery in any other direction with respect to the headband 18. Furthermore, while preferable embodiments have primary stretch and recovery (i.e., the most stretch and recovery) in substantially the horizontal direction (i.e., along line A-A′, E-E′ and I-I′ in FIG. 9 ), and/or in substantially the vertical direction (i.e., along the line B-B′, F-F′ and J-J′ in FIG. 9 ), other embodiments may have primary stretch and recovery in any other directions or angles or in any combination of other directions or angles.

While the constellations of arrowed lines in FIG. 9 each show four generally opposing directions (A-A′, B-B′, C-C′, D-D′, and E-E′, F-F′, G-G, H-H′, and I-I′, J-J′, K-K′, L-L′), those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate and understand, upon reading this description, that any directions or number of directions are possible. Furthermore, the angles between the arrowed lines in FIG. 9 are not to scale or representative of actual angles.

In some exemplary embodiments hereof, it may be preferable for the headband 18 to have stretch and recovery of at least 0.5 to 2.0 inches in the horizontal direction (e.g., along the length of the headband 18). However, lesser or greater amounts of stretch and recovery may also be used and are contemplated herein.

The headband 18 may be joined with the headwear with the inner (material substrate 38) facing inward (e.g., facing towards the head of the person wearing the headwear). With the inner fabric (material substrate 38) facing towards the head when worn, the inner fabric 38 may absorb moisture (e.g., perspiration) away from the head and the fusible substrate 40 may wick moisture (e.g., perspiration) away from inner fabric 38.

The headbands may also each be formed in individual lengths generally equivalent to the desired length of the headband 18 and joined together to form the headband 18 of the desired length. This may be preferable if the resultant headbands 18 may be curved headbands.

The headband 18 may be formed into a loop as described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C, and attached to the headwear (e.g., cap or hat) as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 10 depicts a headband 18 looking in the direction of arrow A1 of FIG. 1A. The headband 18 may have expansion and contraction properties (stretch and recovery) generally outward and inward radially along its perimeter or circumference. Note that while the headband 18 shown in FIG. 11 may resemble the closed loop of FIG. 3C, it is appreciated and understood that the headband 18 of FIG. 10 may represent any type of headband, including but not limited to, an open loop (FIG. 3A), an overlapping loop with an extension (FIG. 3B) (with or without an attachment mechanism), a closed loop (FIG. 3C) or any other type or combinations of types of headbands.

As represented by the arrowed lines in FIG. 10 , the headband 18 may expand in any or all radial directions simultaneously and subsequently contract in any or all radial directions simultaneously. It is understood that the arrowed lines L-L′, M-M′, N-N′, and O-O′ are meant for conceptual illustrative purposes and may therefore represent directions and angles of simultaneous radial expansion and subsequent contraction at any angles and locations or combinations of any angles and locations about the general perimeter or along the circumference of the headband 18. Note that the radial expansions and subsequent contractions may be in addition to, or a result of, the stretch and recovery described above with reference to FIG. 10 .

It is understood that the headband 18 may include all of the expansion and contraction (stretch and recovery) properties described with reference to FIG. 10 . It is also understood that the headband 18 may provide the described expansion and contraction (stretch and recovery) properties to the headband 18 as it forms at least a portion of the headband 18.

The headbands 18 may be produced using any colored fabric and/or fusible substrates and may also include printed, stitched, or sewn-in graphics, logos, branding, text, or other types of images or patterns. The headbands may also be unprinted. The headbands may also include labels such as size and fit labels, garment care instructions, and other types of labels.

Thus are described headbands and methods of making and using them, e.g., in headgear.

CONCLUSION

Where a process is described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process may operate without any user intervention. In other embodiments, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., an act is performed by or with the assistance of a human).

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “at least some” means “one or more,” and includes the case of only one. Thus, e.g., the phrase “at least some ABCs” means “one or more ABCs” and includes the case of only one ABC.

As used herein, including in the claims, term “at least one” should be understood as meaning “one or more”, and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with “at least one” have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as “the” and “the at least one”.

As used in this description, the term “portion” means some or all. So, for example, “A portion of P” may include some of “P” or all of “P”. In the context of a conversation, the term “portion” means some or all of the conversation.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “using” means “using at least,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “using P” means “using at least P.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “using P” does not mean “using only P.”

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “based on” means “based in part on” or “based, at least in part, on,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “based on factor P” means “based in part on factor P” or “based, at least in part, on factor P.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “based on P” does not mean “based only on P.”

In general, as used herein, including in the claims, unless the word “only” is specifically used in a phrase, it should not be read into that phrase.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “distinct” means “at least partially distinct.” Unless specifically stated, distinct does not mean fully distinct. Thus, e.g., the phrase, “P is distinct from Q” means that “P is at least partially distinct from Q,” and does not mean that “P is fully distinct from Q.” Thus, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “P is distinct from Q” means that P differs from Q in at least some way.

It should be appreciated that the words “first” and “second” in the description and claims are used to distinguish or identify, and not to show a serial or numerical limitation. Similarly, the use of letter or numerical labels (such as “(a)”, “(b)”, and the like) are used to help distinguish and/or identify, and not to show any serial or numerical limitation or ordering.

As used herein, including in the claims, the terms “multiple” and “plurality” mean “two or more,” and include the case of “two.” Thus, e.g., the phrase “multiple ABCs,” means “two or more ABCs,” and includes “two ABCs.” Similarly, e.g., the phrase “multiple PQRs,” means “two or more PQRs,” and includes “two PQRs.”

As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Throughout the description and claims, the terms “comprise”, “including”, “having”, and “contain” and their variations should be understood as meaning “including but not limited to” and are not intended to exclude other components unless specifically so stated.

It will be appreciated that variations to the embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. Alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose can replace features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values, and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

Use of exemplary language, such as “for instance”, “such as”, “for example” (“e.g.,”) and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless specifically so claimed.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

1. A headband for headwear, the headband comprising: a material formed by an absorption layer fused with a wicking layer, the material having stretch and recovery properties, wherein said wicking layer controls stretch and recovery of said absorption layer, and wherein the wicking layer comprises a wicking fusible substrate, and wherein the absorption layer comprises a material substrate having absorptive fibers, and wherein the headwear comprises a second material and wherein a shrinkage of the material substrate substantially matches a shrinkage of the second material.
 2. The headband of claim 1, wherein the fusible substrate comprises a two-way fusible substrate.
 3. The headband of claim 1, wherein the wicking layer comprises wicking fibers.
 4. The headband of claim 3, wherein the wicking fibers comprise polyester fibers.
 5. The headband of claim 1, wherein the wicking layer provides memory and/or performance to the headband.
 6. The headband of claim 1, wherein the absorptive fibers comprise one or more of: cotton fibers, hemp fibers, and bamboo fibers.
 7. The headband of claim 1, wherein stretch properties of the absorption layer are due, at least in part, from the material substrate being compacted or being cut on a bias thereof and/or having mechanical stretch and/or comprising an elastic polyurethane fiber or fabric.
 8. The headband of claim 1, wherein the absorption layer comprises a material selected from a group comprising: cotton, poly-cotton, a compacted woven material, and a compacted knit material, and wherein the absorption layer comprises 35% to 100% cotton, and/or wherein the absorption layer comprises between 1% to 65% polyester.
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. The headband of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the absorption layer is perforated.
 12. The headband of claim 1, wherein different portions of the absorption layer have different degrees of perforation.
 13. The headband of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the wicking layer is perforated.
 14. The headband of claim 1, wherein different portions of the wicking layer have different degrees of perforation.
 15. The headband of claim 1, wherein the headband is perforated.
 16. The headband of claim 1, wherein different portions of the headband have different degrees of perforation.
 17. The headband of claim 1, wherein perforations in the headband form and/or comprise one or more repeating patterns.
 18. The headband of claim 17, wherein the repeating patterns comprise repeating logos and/or text.
 19. (canceled)
 20. The headband of claim 1, wherein the fusible substrate has shrinkage equal to shrinkage of the second material.
 21. The headband of claim 1, wherein the shrinkage of the material substrate is 2% to 15%, and the shrinkage of the second material is 2% to 15%.
 22. The headband of claim 1, wherein the second material comprises a fabric that is the same as a fabric of the headwear.
 23. The headband of claim 1, wherein the second material is selected from a group comprising: a pant fabric, cotton, poly-cotton, linen, denim, a compacted woven material, and a compacted knit material.
 24. The headband of claim 1, wherein the headwear is selected from a group comprising: caps and hats.
 25. Headwear comprising a headband according to claim
 1. 26. (canceled)
 27. A method of making a headband of claim 1, the method comprising: (A) positioning a fusible substrate on a material substrate; (B) fusing said fusible substrate and said material substrate to form a fused combination; and (C) spooling said fused combination as a spool of headbands.
 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: compacting said material substrate prior to said positioning in (A).
 29. The method of claim 27, further comprising: perforating said fusible substrate and/or said material substrate prior to said positioning in (A).
 30. The method of claim 27, further comprising: perforating at least a portion of said fused combination.
 31. The method of claim 27, wherein the fused combination is perforated with one or more logos.
 32. The method of claim 27, wherein the fused combination is uniformly perforated.
 33. The method of claim 27, wherein different portions of the fused combination have different degrees and/or amounts of perforation.
 34. The method of claim 27, further comprising: printing indicia on said fused combination.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the indicia comprise one or more logos.
 36. The method of claim 34, wherein the indicia match perforations in shape and/or size.
 37. The method of claim 34, wherein said printing is performed before perforating said fused combination.
 38. The method of claim 34, wherein said printing is performed in conjunction with perforating said fused combination.
 39. A headband formed by the method of claim
 27. 40. A spool of headbands formed by the method of claim
 27. 